Securely unlocking a device using a combination of hold placement and gesture

ABSTRACT

A method includes receiving input from a touchscreen of a mobile electronic device, and receiving input from a plurality of contact sensors of the mobile electronic device, wherein the contact sensors are positioned along an external surface of the mobile electronic device. The method further includes unlocking access to the resources of the mobile electronic device in response to receiving input from the touchscreen meeting predetermined touchscreen input criteria and receiving input from the plurality of contact sensors meeting predetermined contact sensors input criteria. Optionally, the method may further receive input from a camera of the mobile electronic device, and only unlock the device in response to further receiving input from the camera meeting predetermined finger position criteria.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/325,855 filed on Jul. 8, 2014, which application is incorporated byreference herein.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to security and authentication of a userattempting to gain access to a resource of an electronic device, such asa mobile communications device.

Background of the Related Art

Mobile communication devices, such as telephones, are an integral partof everyday life in a modern society. Telephones that are connected to aland line are even on the decline, as people become accustomed to havinga mobile phone with them at all times. The functions and featuresavailable on a mobile phone continue to expand, including apps, a webbrowser, a camera, full physical or virtual keypads, touchscreens, localarea networking wireless connectivity and personal area network wirelessconnectivity, texting and email, and more.

Furthermore, a mobile communication device may store privateinformation, such as pictures, passwords, payment information and otherinformation that a user may not want shared. Security measures may beimplemented on the mobile communication device in order to preventothers from gaining access to the private information or otherwise usingthe features of the device without authorization. Such security measuresmay include successful entry of a previously stored password orbiometric input, such as facial recognition or finger print recognition.Furthermore, the strength of a password may be increased by requiringmore characters and a variety of character types. For example, somesecurity systems will require that a password include a minimum of eightcharacters, including at least one capital letter, one number and onespecial character.

BRIEF SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present invention provides a method comprisingreceiving input from a touchscreen of a mobile electronic device, andreceiving input from a plurality of contact sensors of the mobileelectronic device, wherein the contact sensors are positioned along anexternal surface of the mobile electronic device. The method furthercomprises unlocking access to the resources of the mobile electronicdevice in response to receiving input from the touchscreen meetingpredetermined touchscreen input criteria and receiving input from theplurality of contact sensors meeting predetermined contact sensors inputcriteria.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method comprisingreceiving input from a touchscreen of a mobile electronic device,receiving input from a plurality of contact sensors of the mobileelectronic device, wherein the contact sensors are positioned along anexternal surface of the mobile electronic device, and receiving inputfrom a camera of the mobile electronic device. The method furthercomprises unlocking access to the resources of the mobile electronicdevice in response to receiving input from the touchscreen meetingpredetermined touchscreen input criteria, receiving input from theplurality of contact sensors meeting predetermined contact sensors inputcriteria, and receiving input from the camera meeting predeterminedfinger position criteria.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication device that may implementembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a mobile electronic device having a setof pressure transducers built into the edge of the device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a mobile electronic device being held by a user.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the mobile electronic device with a user holdingfingers in a predefined position while begin a multi-point touchscreengesture.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of the mobile electronic device as the usercompletes the multi-point touchscreen gesture.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method in accordance with a first embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method in accordance with a second embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One embodiment of the present invention provides a method comprisingreceiving input from a touchscreen of a mobile electronic device, andreceiving input from a plurality of contact sensors of the mobileelectronic device, wherein the contact sensors are positioned along anexternal surface of the mobile electronic device. The method furthercomprises unlocking access to the resources of the mobile electronicdevice in response to receiving input from the touchscreen meetingpredetermined touchscreen input criteria and receiving input from theplurality of contact sensors meeting predetermined contact sensors inputcriteria.

The predetermined touchscreen input criteria may include a predeterminedtouch gesture, such as a predetermined multi-touch gesture. One exampleof a touch gesture is a swipe, wherein a finger touches the touchscreenand slides along the surface of the touchscreen for a distance beforedisengaging from the touchscreen. Accordingly a swipe may traversevarious paths as determined by a user. A multi-touch gesture may also bea swipe, wherein multiple fingers or points of contact are made with atouchscreen and slid along the surface of the touchscreen for a distancebefore disengaging from the touchscreen. Furthermore, the predeterminedtouchscreen input criteria may include a predetermined touch gesture, ora predetermined multi-touch gesture, in a predetermined position of thetouchscreen.

The predetermined contact sensors input criteria may include apredefined device holding pattern. Typically, a user will hold themobile electronic device with one hand and provide touchscreen inputwith the other hand. Accordingly, a plurality of contact sensors may bedisposed on the surface of the mobile electronic device in positionsthat are likely to be contacted by a user's hand when holding thedevice. It is expected that variations in hand size, finger width andlength, hand strength and personal preference will lead one user to holdtheir mobile electronic device in a different manner than another user.By providing a plurality of contact sensors, an authorized user's uniqueholding pattern may be measured as a plurality of contact points.Optionally, the plurality of contact sensors may be pressuretransducers, such that the pressure applied at each contact sensor mayalso be measured.

Embodiments of the present invention may further include steps forestablishing the predetermined touchscreen input criteria and thepredetermined contact sensors input criteria. In one example, the mobileelectronic device is placed in a security configuration mode. Typically,this can only be done by an authorized user that has already beenauthenticated to the mobile electronic device. While the mobileelectronic device is in the security configuration mode, the authorizeduser holds the mobile electronic device in a manner that engages aplurality of the contact sensors and performs a touch gesture on thetouchscreen. The predetermined touchscreen input criteria and thepredetermined contact sensors input criteria is then automaticallystored. Subsequently, a user will unlock the mobile electronic device byrepeating the same holding pattern and touchscreen gesture that wereused during the security configuration mode.

Optionally, the method may include unlocking access to a subset of theresources of the mobile electronic device in response to receiving inputfrom the touchscreen meeting second predetermined touchscreen inputcriteria and receiving input from the plurality of contact sensorsmeeting second predetermined contact sensors input criteria. Secondpredetermined touchscreen input criteria and second predeterminedcontact sensors input may be stored in the same manner described abovefor a second user. Since two individual users are expected to havedifferent holding patterns and select different touch gestures, thesystem can accommodate separate unlocking criteria for each user. Forexample, a first user may be authorized to have full access to allresources of the mobile electronic device, while a second user only haveauthorization to access a subset of those resources.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method comprisingreceiving input from a touchscreen of a mobile electronic device,receiving input from a plurality of contact sensors of the mobileelectronic device, wherein the contact sensors are positioned along anexternal surface of the mobile electronic device, and receiving inputfrom a camera of the mobile electronic device. The method furthercomprises unlocking access to the resources of the mobile electronicdevice in response to receiving input from the touchscreen meetingpredetermined touchscreen input criteria, receiving input from theplurality of contact sensors meeting predetermined contact sensors inputcriteria, and receiving input from the camera meeting predeterminedfinger position criteria.

In this embodiment, the predetermined touchscreen input criteria mayinclude any of the aspects described above, and the predeterminedcontact sensors input criteria may include any of the aspects describedabove. However, this embodiment includes the user of a camera to capturean image of the relative position of fingers during the touch gestureinput. Optionally, the predetermined finger position criteria includes apredetermined configuration of fingers that are not involved in thepredetermined touchscreen gesture. Image analysis may be used on theinput from the camera to identify the finger position.

Embodiments of the present invention may further include steps forestablishing the predetermined touchscreen input criteria, thepredetermined contact sensors input criteria, and the predeterminedfinger position criteria. For example, the mobile electronic device maybe placed in a security configuration mode. While the mobile electronicdevice is in the security configuration mode, an authorized user holdsthe mobile electronic device in a manner that engages a plurality of thecontact sensors, performs a touch gesture on the touchscreen, andpositions fingers in view of the camera. Accordingly, the method storesinput received from the contact sensors during the securityconfiguration mode as the predetermined contact sensors input criteria,stores the input received from the touchscreen during the securityconfiguration mode as the predetermined touchscreen input criteria, andstores the input received from the camera during the securityconfiguration mode as the predetermined finger position criteria.Subsequently, a user will unlock the mobile electronic device byrepeating the same holding pattern, touchscreen gesture and fingerposition that were used during the security configuration mode.

A further embodiment of the present invention provides a computerprogram product comprising a computer readable storage medium havingprogram instructions embodied therewith, where the program instructionsare executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform amethod. The method comprises receiving input from a touchscreen of amobile electronic device, and receiving input from a plurality ofcontact sensors of the mobile electronic device, wherein the contactsensors are positioned along an external surface of the mobileelectronic device. The method further comprises unlocking access to theresources of the mobile electronic device in response to receiving inputfrom the touchscreen meeting predetermined touchscreen input criteriaand receiving input from the plurality of contact sensors meetingpredetermined contact sensors input criteria.

A still further embodiment of the present invention provides a computerprogram product comprising a computer readable storage medium havingprogram instructions embodied therewith, where the program instructionsare executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform amethod. The method comprises receiving input from a touchscreen of amobile electronic device, receiving input from a plurality of contactsensors of the mobile electronic device, wherein the contact sensors arepositioned along an external surface of the mobile electronic device,and receiving input from a camera of the mobile electronic device. Themethod further comprises unlocking access to the resources of the mobileelectronic device in response to receiving input from the touchscreenmeeting predetermined touchscreen input criteria, receiving input fromthe plurality of contact sensors meeting predetermined contact sensorsinput criteria, and receiving input from the camera meetingpredetermined finger position criteria.

The foregoing computer program products may further include computerreadable program code for implementing or initiating any one or moreaspects of the methods described herein. Accordingly, a separatedescription of the methods will not be duplicated in the context of acomputer program product.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the components in one example of acommunication device 10, such as a mobile communication device or smartphone, capable of implementing embodiments of the present invention. Themobile communication device 10 may include a processor 12, memory 14, abattery 16, and an audio codec 20 coupled to a speaker 22, a microphone24, and an earphone jack 26. The mobile communication device 10 mayfurther include a camera 28, a set of pressure transducers 50, and atouchscreen controller 30 that provides a graphical output to thedisplay device 32 and an input from a touch input device 34.Collectively, the display device 32 and touch input device 34 may bereferred to as a touchscreen.

The mobile communication device 10 may also include a local areanetworking wireless connectivity and/or personal area network wirelesstransceiver 40 and corresponding antenna 42 allowing the device tocommunicate with a personal area network wireless device or a local areanetwork wireless router, a mobile communication transceiver 44 andcorresponding antenna 46 allowing the device to communicate over amobile/cellular network, and a global positioning system (GPS)transceiver 48 and corresponding antenna 49 allowing the device toobtain signals from a global positioning system or satellites. As shown,the memory 14 stores an access control logic module 62, andpredetermined input criteria 64 for the touchscreen (gesture), camera(finger position) and pressure transducers (holding pattern).

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the mobile electronic device 10 havinga pressure transducer set 50 built into the perimeter edge of the deviceand lined up along the edge. A flexible outer layer 54 protects theindividual pressure transducers 52 from damage, but allows pressure tobe applied to the transducers. Each individual pressure transducer 52 iselectronically coupled to the processor 12, which detects a pressurereading from each pressure transducer 52 and stores the predeterminedcontact sensors input in the memory 14. The number of pressuretransducers may vary, where a greater number provides more detailedinput and a lesser number is presumable cheaper.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of the mobile electronic device 10 being held in theleft hand of a user. Points of contact are shown and indicated byarrows. It is expected that these points of contact will be detected andmeasured by pressure transducers aligned with the points of contact.

Referring back to FIG. 2, these same points of contact are illustratedby similar arrows and the silhouettes of the fingers. A first arrow 56illustrates a narrow contact point that applies a light pressure,whereas a second arrow 58 illustrates a broader contact point applying aheavier pressure. It should be recognized that the narrow contact pointassociated with the first arrow 56 may be sensed by a single contactsensor 52, the broader contact point associated with the second arrow 58may be sensed by two or more contact sensors 52. Furthermore, wheremultiple adjacent contact sensors are contacted, the pressure may beunequally distributed among those contact sensors. The measurement ateach contact sensor is stored as the predetermined contact sensors inputcriteria. The method will preferably allow for small variations in auser's hold pattern and pressure, but will not unlock the device if theinput from the contact sensors is more than a predetermined deviationfrom the predetermined contact sensors input criteria.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of the mobile electronic device 10 with a userholding fingers in a predefined position while beginning a multi-pointtouchscreen gesture. Specifically, the user is holding the device 10with the left hand 70, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, to produce contactsensor input. Furthermore, the user's right hand 72 is positioned alongthe touchscreen where a camera 28 can capture an image of the right hand72. Specifically, the thumb and first finger of the right hand 72 aretouching each other to form a finger position or pattern like a circle.The image captured by the camera 28 can be analyzed to determine thefinger position, and determine whether the finger position meets thepredetermined finger position input criteria. Still further, the third,fourth and fifth fingers (three fingers) of the right hand 72 arecontacting the touchscreen 34 in preparation for inputting a touchgesture.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of the mobile electronic device 10 as the user'sright hand 72 completes a multi-point touchscreen gesture. Starting inthe position shown in FIG. 4, the three fingers contacting thetouchscreen 34 are slid over the surface of the touchscreen 34 in apattern. This pattern is illustrated by the wavy lines 59 in FIG. 5. Atthis point the mobile electronic device 10 has received contact sensorinput due to the left hand 72 holding the device and contacting thecontact sensors behind the flexible outer layer 54. The device 10 hasalso received finger position input from the camera image of the fingerson the right hand 72. Furthermore, the device 10 has received touchgesture input from the touchscreen. These inputs may be used during asecurity configuration mode to establish the predetermined contactsensors input criteria, predetermined finger position criteria, andpredetermined touchscreen input criteria. Furthermore, these same inputsmay be subsequently use to authenticate a user attempting to unlock thedevice 10 by comparing the combination of inputs with the combination ofpredetermined input criteria.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method 80 in accordance with a firstembodiment of the present invention. In step 82, the method receivesinput from a touchscreen of a mobile electronic device. In step 84, themethod receives input from a plurality of contact sensors of the mobileelectronic device, wherein the contact sensors are positioned along anexternal surface of the mobile electronic device. The method then, instep 86, unlocks access to the resources of the mobile electronic devicein response to receiving input from the touchscreen meetingpredetermined touchscreen input criteria and receiving input from theplurality of contact sensors meeting predetermined contact sensors inputcriteria.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method 90 in accordance with a secondembodiment of the present invention. In step 92, the method receivesinput from a touchscreen of a mobile electronic device. In step 94, themethod receives input from a plurality of contact sensors of the mobileelectronic device, wherein the contact sensors are positioned along anexternal surface of the mobile electronic device. Furthermore, in step96, the method receives input from a camera of the mobile electronicdevice. The method then, in step 98, unlocks access to the resources ofthe mobile electronic device in response to receiving input from thetouchscreen meeting predetermined touchscreen input criteria, receivinginput from the plurality of contact sensors meeting predeterminedcontact sensors input criteria, and receiving input from the camerameeting predetermined finger position criteria.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components and/or groups, but do not preclude the presence or additionof one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof. The terms “preferably,” “preferred,”“prefer,” “optionally,” “may,” and similar terms are used to indicatethat an item, condition or step being referred to is an optional (notrequired) feature of the invention.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or steps plus function elements in the claims below are intendedto include any structure, material, or act for performing the functionin combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. Thedescription of the present invention has been presented for purposes ofillustration and description, but it is not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Theembodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain theprinciples of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: placing a mobile electronicdevice in a security configuration mode; during the securityconfiguration mode, receiving input from an authorized user holding themobile electronic device in a manner that engages a plurality of thecontact sensors and performing a touch gesture on the touchscreen;storing the touch gesture received during the security configurationmode as predetermined touchscreen input criteria and the contact sensorinput received during the security configuration mode as predeterminedcontact sensors input criteria; receiving input from the touchscreen ofthe mobile electronic device; receiving input from the plurality ofcontact sensors of the mobile electronic device, wherein the contactsensors are positioned along an external surface of the mobileelectronic device; and unlocking access to the resources of the mobileelectronic device in response to receiving input from the touchscreenmeeting the predetermined touchscreen input criteria and receiving inputfrom the plurality of contact sensors meeting the predetermined contactsensors input criteria.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thepredetermined touchscreen input criteria includes a predetermined touchgesture.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined touchscreeninput criteria includes a predetermined touch gesture in a predeterminedposition of the touchscreen.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thepredetermined touchscreen input criteria includes a predeterminedmulti-touch gesture.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predeterminedtouchscreen input criteria includes a predetermined multi-touch gesturein a predetermined position of the touchscreen.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein the predetermined contact sensors input criteria is apredefined device holding pattern.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein theplurality of contract sensors are pressure transducers.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: unlocking access to a subset of theresources of the mobile electronic device in response to receiving inputfrom the touchscreen meeting second predetermined touchscreen inputcriteria and receiving input from the plurality of contact sensorsmeeting second predetermined contact sensors input criteria.
 9. Amethod, comprising: placing a mobile electronic device in a securityconfiguration mode; during the security configuration mode, receivinginput from an authorized user holding the mobile electronic device in amanner that engages a plurality of contact sensors, performing a touchgesture on a touchscreen of the mobile electronic device, andpositioning fingers in view of a camera of the mobile electronic device;storing input received from the contact sensors during the securityconfiguration mode as the predetermined contact sensors input criteria,storing the input received from the touchscreen during the securityconfiguration mode as the predetermined touchscreen input criteria, andstoring the input received from the camera during the securityconfiguration mode as the predetermined finger position criteria;receiving input from the touchscreen of the mobile electronic device;receiving input from the plurality of contact sensors of the mobileelectronic device, wherein the contact sensors are pressure transducerspositioned along an external surface of the mobile electronic device;receiving input from the camera of the mobile electronic device; andunlocking access to resources of the mobile electronic device inresponse to receiving input from the touchscreen meeting predeterminedtouchscreen input criteria, receiving input from the plurality ofcontact sensors meeting predetermined contact sensors input criteria,and receiving input from the camera meeting predetermined fingerposition criteria.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the predeterminedtouchscreen input criteria includes a predetermined touch gesture. 11.The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined touchscreen inputcriteria includes a predetermined touch gesture in a predeterminedposition of the touchscreen.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein thepredetermined touchscreen input criteria includes a predeterminedmulti-touch gesture.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein thepredetermined touchscreen input criteria includes a predeterminedmulti-touch gesture in a predetermined position of the touchscreen. 14.The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined contact sensors inputcriteria is a predefined device holding pattern.
 15. The method of claim9, wherein the plurality of contact sensors are pressure transducers.16. The method of claim 9, wherein the camera captures an image of therelative position of fingers during the touch gesture input.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein the predetermined finger position criteriaincludes a predetermined configuration of fingers not involved in thepredetermined touchscreen gesture.
 18. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising: using image analysis on the input from the camera toidentify the finger position.